Betfair awarded online gaming license in Spain

It said on Thursday it had been awarded online gambling licences in Spain, enabling it to offer sportsbook and casino products there, including roulette and blackjack games.

Last week Spain awarded online gaming licences to companies including Bwin.party digital and Sportingbet in a move that will raise tax revenue and remove regulatory uncertainty hanging over operators. Some 60 firms have applied to operate in Spain so far. William Hill, Britain's biggest bookmaker, and online gaming company 888 have already been granted licences.

Betfair, founded 12 years ago by one-time professional gambler Andrew Black and former JP Morgan trader Ed Wray, said it would pay a gross gaming revenue tax of 25 percent on its Spanish operations - a tax that the company has been paying since May 2011 when Spain's new gambling act was introduced.

Spain has raised around 70 million euros (us$ 87.5 million) in back taxes in recent weeks from companies who fell foul of decades-old decrees governing gambling.

Betfair, which recently won one of the first online gambling licences issued in Germany, last month said it had reached a 10 million euros settlement with Spanish authorities. Future income from taxing online gaming will be a useful source of revenue for Spain as it struggles to rein in its deficit. The country is a major sporting power and revenues in the sector are estimated to be over 800 million euros in 2014, according to gaming association Jdigital.